Openwork knitted fabric and method of producing same



Apr. 10, 1923 1 R. HINCHLIFF RK KNITTED FABRIC AND METHOD. OF PRODUCINGSAME RALPH HINCHLIFF, 0F ROCKFQRD ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO BURSON KNITTINGCOMPANY, OF ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS, A CORBORATION OF ILLINOIS.

QEENWDBK KNITTED FABRIC AND METHOD OE PEODUCXNG SAME.

Application filed September T 0 dl whom it 11mg concern Be it known thatI, RALPH HINCHLIFF, a

citizen of the l'nited States. residing at Rockford, in the county ofWinnebago and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Openwork Knitted Fabrics and Methods of Producing Same,of'which the following is a specification.

This invention pertains in general to knitted fabrics and relates moreparticularly to knitted fabrics of the open-work type and to the methodof prod -:ing the same.

'VVhile a fabric mad in accordance with my invention is capab 1 of awide variety of uses, 1 have illustrated the same herein as embodied ina stocking of the seamless fashioned type.

Open work stockings and other fabrics have been. commercially, niadeprior to my. inventionby the drop stitch method, i. e., at spacedintervals across the fabric one or more stitches are dropped, or, inother words, floated instead of being knit into a stitch formation. Thefloating yarns connecting adjacent knitted wales provide the open workappearance. These floating. yarns, however, all extend straight acrossfrom wale to Wale and are disposed substantially in piarallelism andunder the same tension.

i y present invention aims to provide an open work fabric of a novelstructure and appearance, in which the open work is -Formed-by ravellingone or more knitted wales of the )reviously knit fabric, the ravelledyarns 0 which, as the result of having been previously knit and therebykinked or curled, assume different positions and impart to the fabric adifferent appearance than open work formed by the drop -stitch method.

My invention contemplates also givingv t the fabric a furtherdistinctive and novel appearance by incorporating in the wales which areto be subsequently ravell'ed, draw or tuckstitches, the elongated loopsof which, when unravelled, are longer than the floatingyarns extendingbetween the wales adjoining the run. The open work, therefore, comprisesthe ravelled arns of the tuck stitches and the shorter oating yarns andconsequently when the fabric is laterally stretched, as it is in astocking when on a leg, the floating yarns being shorter are under agreater tension than the ravelled 1, 1922. Serial no. 585,725.

therefore retain their original shape and the draw stitch yarns remainloose and kinked or distorted, lending a novel and dis tinctiveappearance to the fabric.

Another feature of my invention which adds to the attractiveness of thefabric, is the incorporation in the knitted webs between the open workstripes of draw stitches, tuck stitches, or other ornamental stitchesunder increased tension, which when such tension is partially relievedby the ravelling of a neighboring wale stand out in relief to impart tothe fabric a neat and pleasing appearance. s

For the purpose of facilitating an understanding Of my invention, I haveillustrated on the accompanying drawings. preferred embodiment thereoffrom an inspection of which when considered in connection with thefollowing description, the fabric, its method of production, and many ofthe advantageous features thereqf should be read- My understood andappreclated.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a stocking made in accordance with myinvention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged view showing the structure of the'fabric prior to the ravelling operation;

Fig. 3 is asimilar view, showing the open work resulting from theravelling; and

Fig. 4 is an edge view of the fabric shown in Fig. 3.

The particular fabric illustrated comprises a series of knitted webs,those illustrated in Fig. 2 being designated by reference characters 5,6 7 and 8, these webs being united in the fabrlc when knit by wales 9,

or run. The entire fabric may consist entirely of plain stitches, butpreferably each web includesa series of draw or tuck stitches 13 whichlend attractiveness to the fabric, and obviously each web may comprise agreater or less number of wales than three which are shown on thedrawings for illustrative purposes merely.

11 and 12, which are subsequently ravelled throughout the length of thewales, unless it 'complction, or at any 'desired point tl'iercin,

the yarn is dropped off from the needles which form theintervening wales9, ll, 12. etc ln forming a stocking of the seamless full-fashionedtype, which is knit from the toe upwardly. the yarn is dropped off justbefore the formation of the stocking top or approximately at a pointindicated by dotted line 17 in Fig. 1; The fabric is then stretched,which causes the wales in which the yarn has been dropped to run orrave], with the resultt'hat the webs then become separated byintervening open work stripes designated in Fig. 3 by referencecharacters 18 and 19. This running or ravelling will continue be'in someWay stopped, and in Fig. l l have illustrated'lines of stitching 21 and22 adjacent the heel and toe of the stocking which hold the yarn andlimit the extent of the. run but obviously such unravelling may belitopped at any desired location.

lVhen the intermediate wales 9, ll, 12, etc.

are run or ravellechthe floating yarns 1.6

- are stretched taut between the marginal wales of adjacent webs, and ifconsiderable tension is exerted laterally of the fabric, the stitches towhich these yarns are connected at each end become tightened andsomewhat distorted. The yarns forming plain stitches 15 are drawnsubstantially taut, as indicated by 15 in Fig. 3, although the kink ordistortion of the yarn resulting'frorn its having been knit, causesthese yarns 15 to assume irregular positions except when the fabricunder considerable tension. The yarns forming the draw stitches 14,being considerablylonger than either the yarns 15 or 15, are drawn intoirregularly disposed loops or curves, indicated by reference character14.

in Figs. 3 and 4.

The particular fabric disclosed, includes in its open work structure,three groups of yarns, namely, the floating yarns 16, which liesubstantially straight, the plain stitch yarns 15, which are more orless kinked depending upon the tension exerted upon the 'yarns, and thedraw stitch yarns 14 which are looped or kinked to a considerabledegree, since no appreciabletension is exerted upon these yarns evenwhen the fabric is subjected to considerable tension. Each openworlcstripe therefore consists of successively arranged groups of yarns, eachgroup of which includes yarns of three different lengths and tensionsextending be- 'tween ad'acent webs. The appearance of a fabric 0 thischaracter may obviously he It will be understoml, therefore, that I haveprovided a fabric of the-open work type which difl'ers both in itsstructure and in its method of production from open work fabrics ascustomarily produced and that the fabric, as the result of the differentlengths of the yarns in the open work stripes, presents a novel andstriking appearancewhich is capable oi variation by varying the stitcheseither in the fabric webs. or in the open work wales, or in botlnnsdesired.

l claim: 1

.1. An open work knitted fabric, comprising alternately disposed websand open work stripes. each web consisting of a plurality of knittedwales, and each stripe consisting of transversely extending yarnsarranged in successive'groups throughout the length of the stripe, eachgroup comprising yarns of ing alternately arranged knitted webs and openwork stripes, the stripes consisting of transversely disposed yarnsunder different tensions connecting said webs and arranged in successivesimilar groups throughout the length of each stripe.

3. An open work knitted fabric, comprising a knitted web including plainand draw stitches, and an open work stri e including yarns from ravelleddraw stitches.

4. An open work knitted fabric, comprising a knitted web including plainand draw stitches, and an open work stripe including the ravclled yarns.of plain and draw stitches,

5. An open work knitted fabric, comprising a knitted web, and open workstripes including floating yarns and the ravelled yarns of plain anddraw stitches. I p

o. .l stockin consisting of alternately disposed knitted webs and openwork stripes, the stripes including straight yarns and kinked yarns.

T. A knitted stocking. consisting of alternately arranged knitted Websand open work stripes, the webs comprising plain stitches anddraw-stitches, and the stripes comprising straight floating yarns andlonger kinked ravelled yarns.

8. A seamless fashioned stocking, comprising alternately arrangedknitted webs, including plain stitch wales and tuck stitch wales, andopen work stripes including straight floating yarns, ravelled plainstitch yarns and ravelled tuck stitch yarns of greater length than thefloating yarns.

9. An open work knitted fabric comprising spaced webs including plainand stripes inelntiing ravelled. plain stitch yarns and ravelled tuckstitch yarns.

it An open work kn tted, fabric comfrom knitted plain and tuck stitches.

11. An open. work knitted fabric coinprismg spaced Webs each consistingof one or more wales including; tuckstitches, flanked by plain stitchwales, and open Work stripes comprising I't1\"Gll8(l-y2L1DS.

12. An open work knitted fabric comprislng spaced webs each consistingof one E5 .or more .wales including tuck stitches,

thanked by plain stitch wales, and open work stripes comprising levelledplain and tuck stitch yarns:

13. The method of producing an open Work knitted fabric which consistsin knitting a solid fabric to include both plain and tuck stitches inpredetermined Wales thereof, and ravelling certain of the Wales only,including tuck stitches, to thereby produce open work stripes comprisingyarns of ravelled plain and tuck stitches, alternating with knitted websin which the remaining tuck stitch wales are incorporated.

14. The method of producing an open work knitted fabric which consistsin knitting a solid fabric to include both plain and tuck stitches inpredetermined wales thereof, and ravelling tuck stitch wales to therebyproduce open work stripes comprising yarns of both ravelled plain andtuck stitches,

alternating with solid knitted webs.

RALEH HIYCHYJFF.

